Music Selections

[Joe Mahmood]

NAIL IN THE FENCE

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.

His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.

Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.

He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.

He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence

He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.

A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.

ROCKWELL - KNIFE

 

[Joe Mahmood]

PRINCE - PURPLE RAIN

 

[Joe Mahmood]

SANTANA - MARIA MARIA

 

[Joe Mahmood]

COLDPLAY - ADVENTURE OF A LIFE TIME



The creation of life on earth is still a mystery for many researchers of truth. The truth about the creation of life is still inexplicable for them and they are still searching for the atoms or the God that created life on earth. Many of them whether they are scientists or religious preachers usually make a conclusion that the creation of life must have started when mother earth was formed. The conclusion came about through Science knowledge or by Faith alone. Their conclusions are normally based upon the idea of probabilities, theories, logic and faiths, which have been compiled as their thesis and then converted it into facts or truths. They are not wrong but on the right tracks.

That kind of work takes a lot of time since mankind acquired more knowledge throughout the ages. Just like a child playing with his Lego blocks, if ever they managed to break the seal that locked the secrets of creations of life and creates life or personally meet the Creator Himself, they can be considered as gods or viceroys of God. If not, they are just mankind and believers of God. Just like a sculptor’s wishful thoughts of giving Life to their statues if they could and a man eloquently preached God's words that healed the hearts and minds of billions. How, where, when and then Life begin is the most extensive mystery that human race is trying to know and learn but many too just believe that God is God and Mankind is Mankind.

Since mankind was able to think about the earth, the moon, the sun and the stars, they began to wonder and ponder about the beginning of Life, the meaning of Life, and the ambience around them. These were the causes and effects for them to search the beginning and the meaning of their existence.

The early period of mankind life was very different from modern mankind. Most of the early mankind saw their lives full of miseries because it was a very hard life for them. During the primitive period of mankind, they transversed throughout the distant lands for their quest of better and for safer living habitations. They needed to search, hunt and store for food with methods and tools of their own inventions. The climates and living environments were so treacherous at the expensed of their own lives being terminated by many untoward incidences that caused many of them to perish. They needed foods and shelters to survive. When they found where they could hunt for more foods, they would settle there until the foods for their survival ran away from them, withered away due to cataclysm and catastrophes caused by Mother Earth’s natural causes and effects or in theological term "Will of God". That kind of life was not an easy life for them but yet they managed to survive until they proliferated into many tribes on earth. In that kind of living environments they probably did not have the time or idea about who they were and where they came from or who created them? Their thoughts were normally survival to remain alive. They were communal tribes and they became stronger and mightier regardless of the circumstances and calamities they had encountered as time moved forward.

Their mind was a wonderland for them when they began to look for answers about the world and the constellations. They began to understand more about themselves and the world they lived in. The thoughts of their own wondering manifested into actions, then the cause and effect plans manifested into their lives. Then they progressed through time throughout the ages as mankind after myriad of ideas in their thoughts manifested and materialised into existence in the world of mankind. Images and sounds began to form in their mind, then words and languages manifested. They saw pictures in their mind and started to draw and invent things. That was the way they started to improve their living standards, maintained the securities within their communities and defended themselves from outside threats.

"In the beginning there was nothing only emptiness. The nothingness and emptiness began to form into pictures, sounds and words. Then the pictures, sounds and words were inspired into meaningful things and it became flesh. The pictures, sounds and words became languages and new things for mankind to utilise."

The inspirations received by mankind throughout the ages, accounted for all the knowledges and inventions we see now and some are not seen yet because it is not the right time for mankind to know and see. When you understand how your mind works it will teach you many new knowledge and new things. This is the way mankind ameliorated to become mankind of today.

By Joe Mahmood
2003, Singapore

 

[Joe Mahmood]

MADONNA - FROZEN

 

[Joe Mahmood]

GUNS N' ROSES - NOVEMBER RAIN

 

[Joe Mahmood]

Goodnight..

BON JOVI - BED OF ROSES

 

[Joe Mahmood]

DEEP PURPLE - SMOKE ON THE WATER

 

[Joe Mahmood]

U2 - ONE

 

[Joe Mahmood]

NIRVANA - SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

 

[Joe Mahmood]

JOSE FELICIANO - ANGELA

 

[Joe Mahmood]

KEANE - EVERYBODY'S CHANGING

 

[Joe Mahmood]

Hi All...this really a beautiful and peaceful piece of symphony and voice...

HAEVN - WE ARE

 

[Joe Mahmood]

ELLA HENDERSON - YOURS

 

[Joe Mahmood]

SARAH MCLACHLAN - I REMEMBER YOU



You can light a candle for someone you love and wish for that person with all your heart and soul. I have just a link for you to do that...take a look at it.

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm?l=ENG

Hope you feel better.

Joe

 

[Joe Mahmood]

"An old Chinese Zen monk who, after many years of peaceful meditation, realized he was not really enlightened.

He went to the master and said, "Please, may I go find a hut at the top of the mountain and stay there until I finish this practice?"

The master, knowing he was ripe, gave his permission.

On the way up the mountain the monk met an old man walking down, carrying a big bundle.

The old man asked, "Where are you going, monk?"

The monk answered, "I'm going to the top of the mountain to sit and either get enlightened or die."

Since the old man looked very wise, the monk was moved to ask him, "Say, old man, do you know anything of this enlightenment?"

The old man, who was really the Bodhisattva Manjusri - said to appear to people when they are ready for enlightenment - let go of his bundle, and it dropped to the ground.

As in all good Zen stories, in that moment the monk was enlightened. "You mean it is that simple; just to let go and not grasp anything!"

Then the newly enlightened monk looked back at the old man and asked, "So now what?" In answer, the old man reached down and picked up the bundle again and walked off toward town."

This story shows both sides of spiritual practice. It teaches us to let go, to relinquish our grasping and identification with all things, and reminds us that we just rent this house for a while. Once we have realized that, it teaches us, we must reenter the world with a caring heart. We must pick up our bundle and carry it back into the realm of human life.

~ Jack Kornfield, author of The Path With Heart

NF - THE SEARCH

 

[Joe Mahmood]

PICKUP IN THE RAIN

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..It read:

"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.

NATALIE COLE FT. NAT KING COLE - UNFORGETTABLE

 

[Joe Mahmood]

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA - THE SILENCE

 

[Joe Mahmood]

IMAGINE DRAGON - DEMON



BE THANKFUL
By Unknown

(One of the classic inspirational poems)

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach
you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

 

[Joe Mahmood]

UNGU - ANDAI KU TAHU



A PAINTING BY MICHAEL

In December 1995 while staying in Jakarta for 3 weeks before I returned to Singapore, I met an American man.

He called himself Michael. He told me that he had served in Vietnam war with an
Airborne Unit. He told me that the first thing that came to his mind when he hit the ground was his uniform; how dirty and untidy it was going to be. He told me that he was from Florida and in fact he had an Indonesian wife in Indonesia. He was a Muslim not because he married an Indonesian Muslim lady but because he had a heart attack.

He narrated to me that while he was having that heart attack, initially he felt painful but after awhile he felt peaceful and he saw Him. He said to himself, "I pointed my forefinger upward and said 'Allah.'"

Once he showed me one of his paintings. And he asked me, "What is
the meaning of this painting. Can you tell me?"

In his painting, the first object that he painted was a vase of flowers with many colours. Then, just behind that flower vase, there was a picture of a beautiful seductive woman. Just next and behind of that woman, there were pictures hanging on the walls with evil eyes and impished grins hiding behind a forage. Then next to the wall of that frightening picture hanging behind that woman, there was a corridor passageway with four or five door entrances on the right hand side. On the floor of that passageway, there were arrows pointing straight ahead towards the end of the last door entrance. On the wall at the end of that passageway just next to the last door entrance, there was a large picture with the word 'Allah' written on it.

So I answered him. The flowers represented Life itself. He answered 'Yes'. The beautiful seductive woman, represented temptation. He answered 'Yes'. The pictures of evil eyes and grins hiding behind the bushes represented evil doers. He answered 'Yes'. There were good and bad people. He answered 'Good' and 'Yes'. The arrows on the floor of that passageway meant direction. He answered 'Yes'. The doors... (I did not know what it meant, back then). He smiled. The word 'Allah' in that frame picture, means God but .....(I did not know what it meant). He smiled.

Well, he did not tell me what the whole picture meant to him but he asked me, "How old are you Joe? I replied, "Thirty-two." Then he said, "You know Joe, I want you to know this, when you know what this picture meant, I will thank you and I assure you that you will fall in love everyday. Then you will remember me." Then he said, "I fall in love wonderfully everyday." Then I argued with him, "You mean you fall in love everyday with women." He replied, "Yes, I fall in love with every woman I met on the street everyday." Then I asked him again, "You are married, right Michael?" He replied, "Yes, I'm married and I love my wife very much and I also fall in love with every woman I met on the street everyday."

I found it hard to believe him back then because he seemed much like a man who had too much to drink when he talked but he had clear ideas of what he was talking about. He said to me once, "You know Joe, this world is like a drama. People have their own problems but when they listen to other people problems, they forget about their own problems. Its a stage and we are all the actors."

That Michael was correct to say to me this, "You will remember me."

Joe